Save the date for the 2026 Franklin Institute Awards!
Awards Week: April 27-May 1, 2026
Awards Ceremony & Dinner: April 30, 2026
2025 Franklin Institute Awards
During our Awards Week from April 28-May 2, 2025, The Franklin Institute Awards paid tribute to our namesake and America’s first citizen scientist, Benjamin Franklin, by honoring the greatest minds in science, engineering, and industry. Through their boundless creativity and passion for discovery, the members of our Class of 2025 have seen the previously invisible, pushed the limits of nature’s toolkit, and advanced solutions to global challenges. Beyond their remarkable achievements, they are mentors and role models, guiding the next generation of trailblazers and creating a better future for us all.
The Franklin Institute congratulates The Franklin Institute Awards Class of 2025!
Katharine N. Suding, Ph.D., 2025 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science
Jamie Dimon, 2025 Bower Award for Business Leadership
Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award
Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry
William James Dally, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science
Kurt Edward Petersen, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering
Steven M. Block, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science
John W. Hutchinson, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering
John P. Perdew, Ph.D., 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics
Learn more about the 2025 Laureates Watch the 2025 Ceremony 2025 Awards Convocation Book
2025 Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and Dinner
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Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony & Dinner
Call for Nominations
The Franklin Institute is currently accepting nominations for the Benjamin Franklin Medals, the Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award, the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, and the Bower Award for Business Leadership.
Case Files
A Unique Repository in the History of Science and Technology. As the documentary record of The Franklin Institute Awards program, the Case Files are filled with stories of scientific enterprise dating back to 1824, when the Institute was founded to train artisans and mechanics in the fundamentals of science.
Since 1824, The Franklin Institute of Philadelphia has honored the legacy of Benjamin Franklin by presenting awards for outstanding achievements in science, engineering, and industry.
As the oldest comprehensive science and technology awards program in the United States, The Franklin Institute Awards Program has recognized more than 2,000 of the most pioneering scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators from across the globe.
Its history documents the course of human discovery and advancement through the past two centuries—from the diesel engine to the Mars rover, from the typewriter to the cell phone, and from x-ray technology to genome editing. Previous laureates include Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Pierre and Marie Curie, Max Planck, Orville Wright, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ruth Patrick, Jacques Cousteau, Stephen Hawking, Martin Rees, Gordon Moore, Shuji Nakamura, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Blackburn, Bill Gates, Jim West and Gerhard Sessler, Cornelia Bargmann, John Goodenough, Jim Allison, and Frances Arnold.
The Franklin Institute Awards presents the Benjamin Franklin Medals, the Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award, the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, and the Bower Award for Business Leadership.
Awards Videos
View each year’s Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and learn about the laureates and their incredible work. Videos are presented in collections by year.
2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Looking for a specific laureate or subject? Check out the laureate search. Video profiles can be found on each laureate’s bio page.